Mortgage originators feeling the pressure from low loan volumes and low margins are showing a renewed interest in non-QM loan products for borrowers outside the conforming credit box. But no one has forgotten the painful lessons of the financial crisis, and lenders and investors alike recognize that high-quality originations — whether QM or non-QM — are key to a healthy real estate and mortgage market.
To ensure loan quality, investment banks, mortgage companies, government agencies and mortgage insurers are using Infinity IPS for residential mortgage credit and compliance due diligence, pre-fund and post-close quality control, and mortgage servicing reviews.
The company, founded in 2003, has been approved to perform RMBS third-party due diligence reviews by Fitch, Moody’s, DBRS, Kroll and, most recently, by Morningstar.
“Our work has been reviewed by experts at the respective rating agencies who rely on accurate, detailed reports on a loan level basis,” said John Hutchison, Executive Vice President of Operations.
“Investors know our results have been vetted by the rating agencies, who trust us to provide a high-quality level of review.”
A BOUTIQUE APPROACH
Infinity IPS takes a consultative approach with its clients, taking time to clearly understand what each client needs at both the executive and operations level. The company provides high-touch service from the very beginning of their relationship with clients, spending substantial time ensuring critical items such as turn times, reporting, and communications needs have all been agreed to during the on-boarding phase.
“At Infinity we provide a boutique approach to all our clients, whether they are small or large. We believe all small firms aspire to be big firms and we want to be part of their success as they grow,” CEO Chandresh Mehta said. “And, while large firms may be managing tremendous volumes monthly, we manage their expectations and ensure we home in on the problematic loans that need that special attention for our clients.”
Throughout a transaction review, Infinity IPS stays in constant contact with clients, noting trends, issues, and consistent process status. It also manages expectations to ensure there are no surprises along the way.
Once Infinity IPS has completed their QC and due diligence findings, the company goes beyond just reporting what it finds, taking the time to write up comprehensive narratives that clearly explain the issues they find in the file.
“While our underwriting software fires system-generated responses to issues and conditions with a loan, we
realize that there is often much more to an issue than what the system presents, and we do a great job of illustrating what the system has found, so our clients do not have to look back in the file or interpret what the system has reported,” Hutchison said.
INVESTING IN LEADERSHIP
While Infinity IPS has enjoyed continued growth each year, the company is careful to maintain a “controlled-growth” strategy that ensures its operational staffing needs will meet its clients’ demanding quality standards.
Infinity IPS has also continued to invest in its senior management team in sales and operations. These additions have brought a tremendous level of experience from both the transactional management side — from some of the largest loan acquisition buyers in the industry — and senior management on the operations side.
Due diligence and quality control are critically important to ensuring a healthy, stable mortgage market. Infinity IPS’ commitment to providing the highest quality due diligence in the industry, combined with its dedication to client success, has earned it the honor of working with some of the most successful lenders and investors in the industry.
“With our culture, which caters to our clients’ individual needs from a boutique standpoint, we feel the combination of process and talent will resonate through the industry and allow Infinity IPS to continue to gain market share in a space that currently has many firms to choose from,” Mehta said. “Our goal at Infinity IPS is not to be the biggest — just the best!”
THE EXECUTIVES
Chandresh Mehta, CEO
Chandresh Mehta is an entrepreneur and business leader with over 25 years in the mortgage industry. Mehta has generated more than $350 million in revenue and managed more than 100 global clients. As the CEO of Infinity IPS, Mehta is responsible for budgeting, strategic decision-making, organizational structuring and the overall accountability of the company. His leadership and dedication for constant process improvement and business optimization is what makes Infinity IPS one of the most trusted mortgage due diligence firms.
John Hutchison, Executive Vice President, Operations, Due Diligence
John Hutchison has over 25 years of experience in the financial markets, including due diligence, transaction management, compliance, and fraud investigation. He understands that market volatility continues to make fixed income securities an attractive option and is aware that comprehensive risk analysis is a necessary component to any secondary market transaction. Before joining Infinity, Hutchison ran American Mortgage Consultants’ servicing and due diligence platform and spent time at Household International and The Clayton Group.
Rick Bissen, Senior Vice President, Sales, Due Diligence
Rick Bissen brings over 15 years of mortgage due diligence, staffing, and related services to the firm, as well as 16 years in the technology, information and document management industry. In his prior role as the executive vice president of corporate development at JCIII, his responsibilities included the oversight of contract and vendor management, HR, marketing and the legal and risk teams.
Sandra Penichet, Senior Vice President, Sales, Mortgage Services
Sandra Penichet brings over 25 years of experience working in the investment banking industry to Infinity, with extensive knowledge in RMBS, whole loan transaction management and mortgage warehouse financing. Penichet has superior client service skills, along with technical due diligence expertise. Most recently, she managed due diligence teams for Barclays, JPMorgan and Credit Suisse.
Kurt Eaton, Senior Vice President, Sales, Due Diligence
Kurt Eaton brings over 30 years of experience in mortgage banking to Infinity with in-depth knowledge of mortgage originations, capital markets, securitizations, servicing and asset management. His experience includes 12 years as a senior manager in the Deloitte Securitization practice, where he managed the securitization due diligence of hundreds of asset and RMBS issuances.
Mike Monti, Senior Vice President, Staffing Solutions
Mike Monti brings over 15 years of experience in the mortgage due diligence business and is responsible for overseeing professional service engagements with Infinity’s clients. Prior to joining Infinity, Monti served as the vice president of staffing solutions for AMC, and as director of recruiting for JCIII & Associates, where he was a strategic partner with operations and was responsible for internal talent acquisition.
Ian Rogers, Vice President of Business Relations & Sales, Due Diligence
Vice President of Business Relations Ian Rogers joined Infinity in 2010. In his professional life, he has worked extensively throughout the mortgage banking industry, starting as a business development executive and then rising through the ranks to vice president. Rogers has more than 10 years’ experience with a core background for mortgage due diligence and quality control reviews.
